Friday, February 10, 2012

The Wings have a chance tonight to tie the 3rd longest home win streak in NHL history, but will have to do it without All-Star goalie Jimmy Howard when the Wings host the Anaheim Ducks. Detroit can, with a victory this evening, stretch their home winning streak to 19 games. They will be facing an Anaheim team that was not enjoyed the Joe Louis Arena atmosphere in a very long time.

It behooves the Wings to come out of the gate early in this one. A quick start with a goal or two early in the 1st period would really help set the tone the Wings may need to cash in a W tonight. With no Jimmah between the pipes, chances are Joey MacDonald will get the call to shut the door on the Ducks. Ty Conklin, who was brought in to be the number 2 goalie has been nothing -but- number 2, his save percentage being the worst among goalies appearing in at least 10 games, as quoted by Yahoo! Sports.

Some of the guys really need to step up over the next few games and make a statement. First among them, in my mind, is Henrik Zetterberg. Hank notched a goal in Detroit's latest win over Edmonton, but it's not something he's done much of this season. Danny Cleary and Drew Miller (11G respectively) have more goals than Z (10G) coming into this match. This is not ever supposed to happen. Ever. We need a concerted effort and a solid mindset to not underestimate an Anaheim team that may be playing more for pride now than a playoff spot, and what a feather in their plucky cap it'd be to sabotage the Wings' hopes of moving toward the record for consecutive home wins.

I'll be keeping an eye on the game till I get home from work. You may see me on Twitter when that happens, but I hope you enjoy the game regardless!